You’ve done lots of work marketing your event, to get people to visit your website so they can take that all important final step and purchase their tickets. However your work isn’t over yet. The way you present your event on your site is critical to converting these potential attendees into confirmed ones. Here are 5 tips to help you increase these sales.
Have an easy-to-use website
This should go without saying, but a well-designed website with a clear and clean layout is critical to ensuring visitors can navigate it intuitively and find what they are looking for easily. Time is a precious commodity, and no one wants to waste theirs trying to make sense of your site.
Use the right copy
The way you describe your event helps people envision it, and what attending it could be like. It’s not just about sharing the hard facts, but also conveying the tone of the event and what tangible benefits they can expect to get out of it. What new skills will the content equip them with? Will they have lots of opportunities to meet similar professionals? What innovative features are being included in the programme?
If the copy is hard to read, dull and confusing, why would they think your event is going to be any different?
Plus, good descriptive copy should also help with SEO and drawing more potential attendees to your site.
Showcase past events
A person needs to trust that your event is offering what you say it is before they will buy a ticket. One thing that helps to establish trust is to show them what they can expect; photo galleries, videos and even attendee reviews from past events give the reassurance that your event is legitimate.
If it’s your first event you clearly cannot do this. But you could instead feature video clips of your speakers from other events, so people still get to sample the calibre of your content.
Lastly – whatever you decide to share, make sure these are all embedded on your website (close to where your ‘buy tickets’ button is!). You don’t want to redirect people to YouTube, for example, and risk losing them to the myriad distractions that can lurk there.
Have a time sensitive incentive
Limited early bird discounts are a good way to create a sense of urgency and encourage someone who is a little on the fence to decide to buy their ticket now instead of later.
Alternatively, you can emphasize that tickets are very limited, so that the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) pushes them to make a purchasing decision more quickly.
Keep it simple
Lastly, make sure the registration process is quick and easy; don’t request attendees create an account, don’t ask too many questions, don’t ask unnecessary questions, and limit the number of steps or click-throughs that need to be taken to complete the process.
Also – don’t let hidden costs creep in, as this is a huge turn-off and could send a potential sale away from your site. Make sure you are upfront and clear about the ticket cost and any additional add-ons before they begin the registration process.